Limiting spread of VIM-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa from colonized sink drains in a tertiary care hospital: A before-and-after study.

Abstract

BackgroundIn healthcare environments, sinks are being increasingly recognized as reservoirs for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In our hospital, carbapenemase-producing, Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-beta-lactamase (VIM)-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-PA) was detected at low endemicity in patients, and environmental culturing revealed that sink drains were primary reservoirs. Therefore, an intervention was initiated in several wards to install sink drain plugs as physical barriers against splashing to prevent transmission of VIM-PA from drain reservoirs to the surrounding sink environment.AimTo assess the efficacy of the intervention on limiting spread of VIM-PA.MethodsSwabs were taken from inner sink environments (i.e. drains), and outer sink environments (i.e. wash basins, faucet aerators, and countertops) twice before and three times after the intervention. Siphon water and drain wells were also sampled before and at the moment of the intervention, respectively. All samples were screened for VIM-PA, and isolates were typed with multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA).ResultsThere was a significant reduction in VIM-PA positivity in both inner (P-value ConclusionsDrain plugs are a simple and effective infection prevention and control measure to contain spread of VIM-PA from drain reservoirs.